The Ancient Revelation: Rewrite

In a battlefield at night, a storm rages on. Corpses lay on the ground, their blood mixing with mud as fog covers the bloodshed. Through it all, Akio is running, his breath heavy, while his clothes have been torn apart. On his face, he wears an expression of uneasiness, as if he's racing against time.

---

A cold sweat runs from my face. I need to make it. I can't let it end, not like this...

---

Step after step, Akio gets closer, yet he grows more and more worried. His wounds continue bleeding, weakening him gradually. Suddenly, an orange light appears. Akio knows what that means, and he uses all of his power to launch himself toward it.

- "Aoi!!"

His scream roars through the surrounding area, nearly deafening anything and anyone who hears it. Akio lands in front of an injured Aoi, who can barely even stand upright on her knees.

---

In front of me I see a giant fireball, with the capacity to destroy all in its wake. However, I can't stop it, as I face it head on...

---

With a gasp, Akio opens his eyes, instinctively raising his right hand and grabbing his hoodie.

"Aoi..."

Akio gets up, seeing that she's actually alive and well. Tears are running from his left eye, the sclera of which turns red due to a hemorrhage. Aoi, who's putting on her clothes again, turns to look at Akio.

Her eyes widen. Seeing Akio's eye like that has her worried, even though it's usually not a big deal. Immediately, she rushes to hug the latter, who shows relief in her safety. It seemed as though Akio thought his dream was real, but he's thankful for the fact that it indeed wasn't.

"I.."

- "Are you.. alright?"

- "Uh.. yeah. It's just that..-"

- "It doesn't matter. I'm glad that you're alright, Akio."

- "Me too."

The two share a loving embrace for a few seconds which feel like an eternity. Afterwards they separate. Akio offers to take Aoi back home, but she declines.

- "You should go home and rest, too. Don't worry about me."

- "Alright. If you say so..."

Aoi smiles and leaves, with Akio returning a weak smile as well. As soon as Aoi leaves, though...

---

I vomit blood, holding my head as I'm barely able to balance myself.

---

Akio starts stepping around, his balance fading. He hits nearby walls and his right eye becomes bloodshot. He feels extreme pain in the left part of his face, yet there's nothing there. His frustration grows, and Akio walks towards a wall.

Thud after thud, Akio hits his head on the wall in his frustration and confusion. Tears start streaming down his face.

- "Why..? Why..!?"

Due to his influx of emotions, Akio's powered-up state unconsciously activates, and the wall starts cracking. Akio's forehead is wounded and blood streams down his face, but he starts to grip the rock wall with immense force.

With one last strike, the wall collapses, and the cave follows suit. Akio shakes his head, looking up and seeing the destruction that he's caused. The roof falls down, and Akio wastes no time in running towards the exit.

Step after step, Akio gets closer, though the exit is already partially blocked. With a deep breath, Akio shoots a flame projectile, causing a massive explosion. From it, Akio comes out of the cave, his clothes having been tattered from the debris and the impact, while he himself has dropped out of his state.

Akio breathes heavily. His left sclera is white again, while his right eye is not bloodshot anymore. He stands up normally, doing some stretches. It looks like he's back to normal, and he wipes his face from any blood that he had.

"There's no use in fighting for a dream, is there?"

Looking at his bloody left arm, Akio closes it into a fist, looking into the bright horizon. He cracks his neck, turning his expression from uneasy to relaxed. Suddenly, though, the ground starts to tremble.

An earthquake begins. Akio gets outside of the forest, avoiding the danger that the trees around him pose. He gets to a safe position, trying to contact the Generals in order to get a hang of the current situation.

Akio tries to call everyone, but he gets no response. The earthquake is messing with his communication efforts, yet trying to get to the headquarters would be unwise. Instead, he steers clear of any possible hazards.

After a bit, the earthquake subsides. As far as Akio can tell, there has been no collateral damage, and he tries to call the Generals again.

Jack is able to pick up.

- [Akio, are you alright?]

- "Yeah. What about you?"

- [There has been no damage, thank God. However, I got news that a giant crack has opened-]

Suddenly, Akio's eyes widen, as he feels energies fading.

- "Hold that thought, Jack. Gotta go."

- [Wait, you should..!]

Akio hangs up the call. If he's right, he just felt the energies of people in distress. He doesn't question the why or how, but instead he rushes towards the source of that feeling.

After a while, Akio finally sees in his sight.. destruction. Collapsed buildings, cries for help and.. a giant crack in the ground, similar to what Jack was talking about. Akio doesn't stop running, rushing to help those trapped under the debris.

Akio raises parts of the destroyed buildings, helping the injured citizens below to get to safety, some having minor cuts while others have broken limbs, or worse. One by one, Akio is able to save those who're trapped, but suddenly, the air turns cold.

The General turns around, seeing a giant part of a building falling towards a woman who's helping her child get away from the debris, which she herself hasn't realized yet.

- "Watch out!"

Akio screams out, warning the woman who looks at him then up, her eyes widening. As the falling debris inches closer, Akio's right sclera starts to turn partially orange, as he jumps over the crack in order to reach the two.

Looking down, though, Akio sees orange liquid deep inside the crack.. magma. His eyes widen. The crack is far too dangerous, and he needs to get everyone away as soon as possible. However, the woman and child are his priority.

The debris shadows the woman, whose expression betrays her terror, fearing both her life and her child's lives. She prepares for the worst, closing her eyes...

---

"Get.. out of here..!"

I order the woman and child away, holding in my back the massive piece of debris with all my might. The muscles in my arms and legs bulge, as I grit my teeth, trying to keep it from causing any harm.

As soon as the two civilians get out of the way, I throw the debris as far away as I can, roaring out.

---

Akio stands upright, trying to catch his breath, but the scream of another civilian catches his attention. He turns to look at a man who fell into the crack, holding his baby boy with him. Without thinking, Akio jumps into the crack as well.

With a swift movement, he grabs the man and throws him upwards, towards the ground. However, due to the extreme heat and sweat, the baby slipped from his arms. Akio takes note of this and grabs the baby with his left hand whilst trying to latch onto the earth with his right, the rock going deep through his palm.

Akio groans in pain, but he sees the baby's worried expression and gains new determination. With a deep breath, Akio throws the baby in the air, as he grabs onto the earth with both his hands, jumping upward.

Using his hands, Akio propels himself upward, grabbing the baby and landing onto the ground. Afterwards, Akio hands the baby over to his father, who's thankful for the General's help. Suddenly, every citizen starts clapping, cheering Akio.